I look Lorelei over and I notice she's wearing white and gold armor, similar to the armor other holy dragoons wore in the past. In her armor, she looks even more beautiful, like a maiden of battle.
"Y-yeah, it has been a while. Why are you here, Lora?" She flinches as she hears my old nickname for her, as if she's surprised I remember.
"I was sent here by Yuri to bring you in. Please, just...come quietly, Brutus." I sigh and look her in the eyes. "You know I can't do that. Why are you helping him? He hurt you, and he killed me and Kara!"
Lorelei turns her head to avoid looking at me. "I...I don't have a choice." I look at her sincerely and extend a hand out to her. "We always have a choice, Lora. Stop helping Yuri and come with me. Please."
"I..." Lorelei looks at me like she wants to say yes, but then she looks at the ground. "I can't. I have to bring you in. You can either come with me, or you can resist."
I give her a determined look. "I will never come willingly." Lorelei sighs and she pulls a familiar rod out of seemingly nowhere. She taps the button and extends it into a spear, then stands in a battle-ready position. "The hard way it is..."
I de-summon Spiritus because I don't want him to be involved this time. I also summon my katana and enchant it with lightning, then get ready to fight. "I don't want to do this, but..."
I quickly jump at Lorelei and slash at her legs but she jumps really high in the air, so I miss completely. I look up in the air and I notice she's diving down with her spear, so I dodge out of the way as she slams her spear into the ground.
I immediately rush up to try and get a hit in, but Lorelei easily pulls her spear out of the ground and she blocks with it. I can't help but grin. "It looks like you've learned some new moves!"
Lorelei rolls her eyes and says nothing, but I notice a hint of a smile on her face. She leaps back and she points her spear at me. I look at her, confused, as she starts to chant something.
Lorelei suddenly shoots a beam of light out of the tip of her spear and I barely manage to roll to the side. I get up and I carefully avoid more beams of light as I try to get up to her.
I get an idea and as she sends another one at me, I blast lightning at it. My lightning crackles as it cancels out the light and Lorelei growls. I quickly maneuver between the beams, blasting the ones I know I won't be able to dodge until I get up to her.
I slash at her spear-holding arm, but she twirls and easily blocks. I look at her seriously. "Lora, why are you doing this?! We don't have to fight!"
Lorelei jumps and she lands behind me. "Yes, we do!" I turn and block as she furiously stabs at me. "Do you think I want to do this, Brutus?! I don't! I never wanted to!" With each word, she repeatedly attacks, to the point where I'm just staying on the defense.
"I have no way out of this other than to bring you in! It's the only way!" I intensely look Lorelei in the eyes. "Lora, please! There is another way than this! We can find it, together!"
Lorelei stops and stares at the ground. "Another way, huh...?" I slowly approach her. "Yes, I know there is! And I'll be there by your side the entire time!"
Lorelei looks up and I take a step back as I see the despair in her eyes. "Lora, what's wrong?" She stares at me. "I know something you can do." I feel hopeful as I walk forward. "Of course, anything!" "You can kill me."
Shocked, I stumble backwards. "W-what?! I would never do that! I...I care too much about you to even think of it! That can't be the only other option!"
Lorelei glares at me. "Brutus, if I bring you in and Yuri kills you, do you really think he'll let me live?! He kills anyone that stops being of use to him! I would rather die to you than to that insane bastard any day!"
I glare right back at her. "Hell, no. I'm not going to hurt you, Lora." I toss my katana to the side. "Just come with me. Please."
"I can't. If I do, Yuri will kill the both of us." Lorelei sighs. "If you won't do it on purpose, then I'll have to make you, because I don't intend on leaving here alive."
Lorelei lunges at me and her spear scrapes my armor as I leap to the side to grab my katana. I barely block her next attacks as she viciously launches a flurry of stabs at me.
I don't even try to attack as Lorelei repeatedly stabs at me. "Why won't you fight back, damn you?! Fight me!" Lorelei jumps in the air and seemingly floats as she chants a spell, different to the one she used before.
As she finishes chanting, she points her spear at me and beams of light rain down from the sky at me. I try to weave between them, but a decent amount hit me and weaken my armor.
They start to get through and I grunt as the light magic manages to harm me. Fortunately, they stop as Lorelei comes down from the sky before they do serious damage.
Lorelei stands there, looking spent from her massive attack. I slowly go up to her but she points her spear at me again. "Lora, you can barely stand, so please just stop!"
"Not until we're done!" She summons the strength to stab at me again, but I easily sidestep. "I'm not going to do it." Lorelei yells and lunges, but I quickly move around her, and with a heavy heart, I use the hilt of my katana to bash the back of her head.
Lorelei crumples to the ground, knocked out. I check to make sure she's alive and I sigh in relief. "Good, she's just passed out." I think of what to do, then I get the only real idea I can use.
I search my memory and I whistle the same tune Lorelei would use to call Seraph all those years ago. A few minutes later, I see a gigantic white dragon fly towards me and she growls as she lands nearby me and Lorelei.
Before Seraph can attack me, I hold up a hand. "Seraph, I know you remember me, and I know you can understand my words, so please listen first."
Seraph glares, but waits for me to speak. "Lorelei is okay, but she is passed out. I called you here to take her back to Solaris, alright?" Seraph nods and she carefully uses her mouth to grab Lorelei, then she turns her head to place Lorelei on her back.
Seraph flies off, being careful to make sure Lorelei doesn't fall off. I sigh sadly and I start to turn towards the path out, but my bracer beeps. I check it and I immediately remember that I completed Xerkhon's mission, so I tap the X button and teleport to his palace.
I appear in his throne room and I notice Xerkhon looks deep in thought. He looks up as I approach and he gets off of his throne to walk over. "You did a good job defeating the creature, Brutus. I would like to bestow a new power upon you, although it is not for you specifically."
I give him a confused look. "Is it for Spiritus, then?" Xerkhon nods. "Yes. I'm sure it will be a great help to you." I summon Spiritus and Xerkhon chants some words. Suddenly, Spiritus grows much larger, to the size of a massive beast!
"What the hell?!" Xerkhon laughs. "Your wolf can now grow to a size where you can ride him into battle or across the world if needed. He can shrink and grow whenever you will it."
"Thank you for the gift, but I'd like to ask you something. What do you have to do with the shrine I saw beyond the beast's lair?"
For a second, Xerkhon looks extremely furious, but he quickly changes his expression and chuckles. "Oh, that thing? In old times, all sorts of...unsavory people worshipped the gods and gave unwanted offerings such as what you may have seen. It is nothing to think about."
Something about his explanation just doesn't sound right, but I say nothing and nod. Xerkhon snaps his fingers and my armor fixes itself, then he opens a portal. "You have been through a lot today, Brutus, so get some rest. You have earned it." I silently walk through the portal and go home.
Xerkhon sits back on his throne and growls. "He found the altar and he is suspicious of me, but he doesn't seem like he's going to do anything about it, at least not yet. I must complete my plan before he ruins everything..."
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Lorelei yells as she wakes up. She looks around and she notices she's on Seraph's back as she flies through the sky. "So he just knocked me out, huh?"
Lorelei laughs. "If anyone could find some kind of other way, it would be Brutus..." She feels tears start to well up, but she holds them back as she silently stares at the sky.